NWA: First Grail Achieved!
At long last, the Tudor BB54 is part of my collection!
I started this hobby a little over a year ago and fell deep, hard, and fast into the world of watches. Started with Seiko, went Swiss, went (neo) vintage, and now I find myself with my first modern “luxury” piece. Before saying anything else I must pause to say that I’m grateful to be able to pursue a hobby that can be as expensive as you want to make it (and more)!
Ever since Watches and Wonders 2023, I have considered the Black Bay 54 to be my grail. I’m using “grail” in the sense of an aspirational-yet-attainable stretch goal, but I know others’ definitions may vary. Anyway, the combination of the midsize proportions, great specs, T-fit clasp, and clean simplicity (and I’d be remiss not to mention the WW23 hype train) put this to the top of my list right away. That’s no surprise considering how great the watch is. What DID surprise me is that this managed to stay on the top of my list for over a year, including many tempting distractions (*ahem* Grand Seiko) and some pretty cool WW24 releases. I’ve had my share of impulse buys, but this is definitely not one of them.
The buying experience was amazing. Trent and the team at the Tudor boutique in Orange County answered my questions over many months, were a pleasure to drop by and talk to, and made the big day very exciting yet laid back.
Lunch with my wife (and my Speedy) before the purchase:
Coffee and celebratory whiskey at the boutique:
The big moment:
The first wrist shots:
And they lived happily ever after. The end!
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
Congrats lovely grail.
You picked a great one!
Congrats and cheers 🥂
Thx brah. That’s a great looking Pepsi- glad to join the club!
Congrats lovely grail.
Many thanks Jose!
Welcome
To the club
And congrats
Welcome
To the club
And congrats
Is that you punching me in the face? 😂
Is that you punching me in the face? 😂
When considering typing welcome to the club, Scorpion saying WELCOME to Johnny Cage immediately came to mind. And I couldn’t help myself 😁
Congratulations and what a coincidence. I just this afternoon tried on the same watch at a Tudor AD. Initially went in with a bias toward a Ranger but was blown away by this model. So the process has begun 👏🏻👌
Enjoy the feeling!
Great choice. I bought one “for my wife” huehuehurb
great choice! I don't think you can get a better watch at that price in 2024. Would definitely grab one if I didn't already have 2 Tudors
Congratulations Brian! What an experience and the 🛡 looks amazing! Enjoy...
It’s a stunner… ok I’m biased… congrats!
Congrats and enjoy ⌚️✌🏾
Hey Brian,
Amazing looking BB54, congrats on achieving your grail! Absolute beauty of a watch, one of the best smaller (more wearable) dive watches.
Great choice. Enjoy wearing it 😍
Congratulations—such a classic
Congratulations for the goal achieved 👏🏻 #tudor catalog has almost all beautiful pieces but i think this is one of the best choise you could do. I am thinking to gat a bb54 too, undecided between him, the 58 blue or the bb pro.. could you tell me the size of your wrist?
One of my grails as well, congrats!
great choice! I don't think you can get a better watch at that price in 2024. Would definitely grab one if I didn't already have 2 Tudors
I agree! How they have the in-house movement and the T-Fit clasp on a bracelet below $4K is kind of mind boggling to me.
It’s a stunner… ok I’m biased… congrats!
Looks great on that leather strap- gonna have to try that out! Where’s it from?
Hey Brian,
Amazing looking BB54, congrats on achieving your grail! Absolute beauty of a watch, one of the best smaller (more wearable) dive watches.
Thank you Riz!
Congratulations on the grail!! It’s a beautiful watch! And be careful; the Grand Seiko is still out there, lurking and waiting for your attention! It got me when I didn’t expect it! 😉
One day, no doubt :)
Congratulations for the goal achieved 👏🏻 #tudor catalog has almost all beautiful pieces but i think this is one of the best choise you could do. I am thinking to gat a bb54 too, undecided between him, the 58 blue or the bb pro.. could you tell me the size of your wrist?
Can’t go wrong with any of those! My wrist is around 6.5 inches and I tend to like a smaller/slimmer profile on the wrist so the 54 was right for me. It wears small, but doesn’t look small, if that makes sense. Also, if you haven’t experienced on-the-fly microadjust, you’ll want to make sure you check out the T-Fit clasp on the 54 before deciding. Truly is a game changer, imo.
Congrats on the Tudor! That watch does just about everything for me! Cheers!
Looks great on that leather strap- gonna have to try that out! Where’s it from?
It works really well on leather straps and natos. I’ve got a few pics on my profile with the natos too. This strap is from watchgecko :)
Really cool watch, congrats dude! I think this (the BB54) will be my Christmas present for myself 😂 maybe sooner, who knows
Congrats on this great purchase! It's my favorite watch. The fit. The look. That bezel. All around greatness!
Congrats on this great purchase! It's my favorite watch. The fit. The look. That bezel. All around greatness!
Thanks Zac!
Congrats Brian! I know you’ve been scoping out that reference since you first saw it.
Looks fantastic! Looking forward to seeing it in person when I get back from my travels.